About this artwork

The Duke of Hamilton was known as 'the boxing marquis' in his youth, and won the Scottish amateur middle-weight title. A pioneer aviator, he was the chief pilot of the first flight over Mount Everest in 1933. The duchess supported her husband's public life and has played an active part in the cultural activities of the Lothians. This touching double-portrait shows the broken, textured brushwork that characterises Kokoschka's work. The artist used vibrant colours to suggest the characters of the sitters, such as reds and oranges for the duke's kilt and even purple for the shadows of his face.

Oskar Kokoschka

Oskar Kokoschka

Kokoschka studied at the School of Arts and Crafts in Vienna from 1905 to 1909, where he also worked for the Wiener Werkstätte (Viennese Workshops). Although his early work was part of the 'art nouveau' movement in Vienna, he soon developed into Austria's leading expressionist painter, specialising in disturbing…